Jason King is a knowing self-parody of action and adventure series with the hero a writer whose own fictional plots have a tendency to become entangled in his creator's adventures. In these circumstances outlandish situations and bizarre coincidences can be taken for granted but that doesn't excuse Philip Broadley's script, a melange of hackneyed ingredients with a lame finale that doesn't make any sense. Yet the series even at its worse is always watchable and apart from Peter Wyngarde who always went to great pains to try and get every detail right there's another fine character actor in Wolfe Morris. Not forgetting the usual excellent score from Laurie Johnson. Pity the script-editor was not more rigorous.
2 Reviews
What the Heck was this episode about?.
davidhiggins-897566 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
***May contain Spoilers***. ***May contain Spoilers***.
Was not too keen on the script.
We also recently had one, two episodes ago called, "It's Too Bad About Auntie", some garbage about a vacuum cleaner & a nut with a knife. Then we had the last one, "The Stones of Venice" a convoluted time slip storyline that I found was a little bit too smart. Then we get this one all about a cigarette lighter with people who you have no idea who they are, what they are even doing in the episode.
Viewers have to have at least some idea what is going on around the half way mark, not totally left in the dark until 5 mins from the end. Just never got the plot, was never carried along with the episode as some of the more earlier Jason King episodes. They were better. Struggling with these later ones.
This episode was far too convoluted, involving the other gangster plot of the story connecting with the usual JK plot by sheer chance. He just happens to be in a bar and gets recognised and gets a lighter slipped in his pocket. The wrong sort of script.
Or an earlier episode where JK just happens to be walking along the side of a road in the Netherlands or some place and a random villain/murderer integral to the plot just randomly happens to be passing by and picks him up. Highly unlikely.
You just can't keep interweaving two plots into one, based on SHEER highly unlikely random CHANCE. It makes the whole episode seem implausible, do it too many times and the whole series becomes implausible. On the whole though worth more than 5 stars for the entire JK series, but for this episode just worth 5 stars.
Would be better brought out in 1080p or at least 720p. OK it was filmed in 16mm not your usual forward thinking ITC Lew Grade 32mm film. Some outfit could pick up the rights and clean the picture up, Network Distribution or such company. They did so for the Saint, UFO, Department S etc, though as this JK series was in 16mm it may just not be up to same quality as some of their other 60's/70's work.
An enjoyable enough series on the whole though. Shame about the hardly even DVD pic quality and some of the scripts. The acting was good enough in the series especially of cause its main character. Played his part really well.
Was not too keen on the script.
We also recently had one, two episodes ago called, "It's Too Bad About Auntie", some garbage about a vacuum cleaner & a nut with a knife. Then we had the last one, "The Stones of Venice" a convoluted time slip storyline that I found was a little bit too smart. Then we get this one all about a cigarette lighter with people who you have no idea who they are, what they are even doing in the episode.
Viewers have to have at least some idea what is going on around the half way mark, not totally left in the dark until 5 mins from the end. Just never got the plot, was never carried along with the episode as some of the more earlier Jason King episodes. They were better. Struggling with these later ones.
This episode was far too convoluted, involving the other gangster plot of the story connecting with the usual JK plot by sheer chance. He just happens to be in a bar and gets recognised and gets a lighter slipped in his pocket. The wrong sort of script.
Or an earlier episode where JK just happens to be walking along the side of a road in the Netherlands or some place and a random villain/murderer integral to the plot just randomly happens to be passing by and picks him up. Highly unlikely.
You just can't keep interweaving two plots into one, based on SHEER highly unlikely random CHANCE. It makes the whole episode seem implausible, do it too many times and the whole series becomes implausible. On the whole though worth more than 5 stars for the entire JK series, but for this episode just worth 5 stars.
Would be better brought out in 1080p or at least 720p. OK it was filmed in 16mm not your usual forward thinking ITC Lew Grade 32mm film. Some outfit could pick up the rights and clean the picture up, Network Distribution or such company. They did so for the Saint, UFO, Department S etc, though as this JK series was in 16mm it may just not be up to same quality as some of their other 60's/70's work.
An enjoyable enough series on the whole though. Shame about the hardly even DVD pic quality and some of the scripts. The acting was good enough in the series especially of cause its main character. Played his part really well.
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